Apparatus for circulating grain stored in a circular bin

ABSTRACT

A sweep auger radially mounted within a storage bin is rotatable horizontally across the bin floor about a vertical axis located centrally of the bin. An upright distributing auger arranged coaxially with the vertical axis has its lower end adjacent the inner end of the sweep auger and its upper end spaced from the roof of the bin. The sweep auger is of a construction such that for each complete revolution across the bin floor it moves predetermined volumes of material over given axial sections thereof for delivery to the distributing auger. The material or grain discharged from the distributing auger is spread across the top surface of the grain stored in the bin. All of the grain in the bin is thus acted upon continuously for circulation through the bin for drying purposes. Field grain may be introduced through the roof of the bin for concurrent distribution and circulation with the grain already in the bin. A bin unloading auger is located below the bin floor to receive grain directly from the sweep auger for discharge exteriorly of the bin.



1. Apparatus for circulating a free-flowing grain for drying purposes within a circular storage bin having a ventilated bottom wall comprising: a. a sweep auger unenclosed over the full length thereof adapted to swing horizontally on said bottom wall about a vertical axis located centrally of said bin, b. an upright auger rotatable about said vertical axis having a grain receiving inlet at the lower end thereof and a grain outlet at the upper end thereof for returning the grain into the bin, and c. coacting means on said sweep auger and upright auger for moving material from the inner end of said sweep auger into said grain receiving inlet, d. said sweep auger having a flighting and shaft relatively formed over the axial length of the auger such that, as the sweep auger is horizontally rotated, any given axially extended section of the auger has the capacity to move inwardly of the auger all of the grain picked up by that portion of the auger projected outwardly from said axially extended section plus the grain picked up by the axially extended section, whereby to remove a horizontal layer of grain of uniform thickness from the floor of the bin during each revolution of horizontal rotation thereof.
 2. The apparatus for circulating grain according to claim 1, wherein said coacting means includes: a. means on the inner end of said sweep auger for moving grain upwardly toward the grain inlet of said upright auger, said upright auger including a shaft, flighting and a casing, and b. means on the lower end of said upright auger for picking up and moving upwardly the grain in said inlet, including the lower end section of said flighting and a flighting section corresponding to said lower end section secured to said shaft in an opposed relation with said lower end section.
 3. The apparatus for circulating grain as defined in claim 1, wherein: a. said sweep auger is constructed in accordance with the formula X Square Root R2D2 - r2D2 + r2S2/R2 wherein R is the axial length of said sweep auger shaft; r is the axial length of the sweep auger shaft from the inner end thereof to any given point outwardly therefrom; X is the diameter of said flighting of the sweep auger at said given point; D is the diameter of said flighting at the inner end thereof; and S is the diameter of the sweep auger shaft.
 4. Apparatus for circulating a free-flowing grain for drying purposes within a circular storage bin having a ventilated floor comprising: a. a sweep auger unenclosed over the full length thereof extended radially of the bin and rotatable horizontally on the bin floor about a vertical axis located centrally of the bin, b. an upright auger rotatable about said vertical axis having a lower end adjacent the inner end of said sweep auger, and c. coacting means on said two augers for transferring grain delivered from the inner end of said sweep auger into the lower end of said upright auger, d. said upright auger having an upper outlet end located within said bin so that the grain discharged from said outlet end is distributed about the bin for subsequent pickup by said sweep auger, and e. said sweeP auger having a shaft of constant diameter and a flighting with transverse cross sections of varying areas such that as said sweep auger is horizontally rotated on the bin floor the volume of a first axially extended auger section of a given length is substantially equal to the volume of a next adjacent outer axially extended auger section of a given length plus a volume equal to the volume of grain to be picked up by the first auger section, whereby to remove a horizontal layer of grain of uniform thickness from the floor of the bin during each revolution of horizontal rotation thereof. 